CATTLE, DAIRYING, 
215 
The exports of butter and cheese from the United States, and value, 
for 1877 and 1878 arc given by the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics at 
■Washington as follows: 
1878. 1877. 
26,656,198 23,014,263 
139,249,276 112,567,354 
Twelve months ending Dec. 31, butter, )b3. 
* •• “ cheese, lbs. 
Estimated Production of Butter and Cheese. 
The value of land and cows in the United States employed in furnishing 
milk, butter, and cheese, is not less than $1,300,000,000, or the sum of 
nearly half the national debt at its highest point. Over three thousand 
factories are engaged in the manufacture of these articles. 
The production of cheese is estimated at 350,000,000 lbs. per annum, 
and of butter about 1,500,000,000 ; of the former, 130,000,000 lbs. will 
be exported this year, and 25,000,000 lbs. of the latter. The value of 
the two is about $350,000,000 or $50,00Q,000 more than the wheat crop 
of the country : three times mofc than the oat crop ; four times more 
than the potato crop ; one-seventh more than the hay crop ; one-third 
more than the cotton crop, and but one-fifth less than the corn crop. 
The number of coavs in the United States is over 13,000,000, Avhich is 
six times the number in Great Britain, over tAvice the number in France, 
tAvo and a half times more than in Prussia, and more than in the countries 
'of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, 
Russia, Finland, Austria, Hungary and Sivitzerland combined — although 
these countries together contain four times the population of the United 
States. The proportion of cows to the inhabitants here is twenty-three 
ito each one hundred persons. 
The production of cheese and butter increased thirty-three per cent, 
in 1877 and the exports have been in like proportion. 
The cheese and butter exported in 1878 have paid freight to the amount 
of over $1,000,000 to the ocean commerce, or a sum almost sufficient to 
support a line of ocean steamers. These articles pay to the railroad 
companies over $5,00(7^000 annually for transportation, and the article of 
milk pays nearly as much more. Loaded on railway - cars, ten tons to 
each car, the butter and cheese produced in the United States in one year 
would fill 22,000 cars, and make a compact line 135 miles long. 
It is estimated that Great Britain, Avith a population of 32,000,000, 
consumes about 200,000,000 pounds of cheese annually, while the United 
States, Avith 50,000,000 inhabitants, consumes about 200,000,000 pounds 
annually. It is claimed that when only a good quality is put into the 
tome piarkct Americans will became as great cheese eaters as Englishmen, 
